Type-writing machine.



F. A. HART.

TYPE WRITING MACHINE;

APPLICATION. man JULY 6. I917.

Patented Feb. 4, 1919.

A 7 may ran onto.

' FREDERICK A. HART, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIG-NOR T0 UNDERWOOD COUTING MACHINE COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

TYPE-WRITING MACH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. a, rare.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK A. HART, a citizen of the United States, residing in Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Type-Writing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in typewriting machines, and more particularly to paper-fingers for assisting in maintaming a work-sheet properly on the platen.

the

The paper-fingers in the present invention are adjustably mounted on a fixed shaft, so as to overhang the platen and cooperate therewith to guide and maintain the worksheet smooth on the platen. The adjustment of the fingers on the fixed shaft is such, that when in a platen-engaging position, they will be comparatively looked a ainst accidental movement along the sha t. This is done by providing a collar splined on the shaft, having a spring connection with a sleeve, which in turn, is connected to an arm bearing a pressure roll. The spring normally forces the roll into tight contact with the platen and reacts on the collar to cause it to bind on the shaft. A detent or look is provided between the collar and the sleeve to hold the arm and roll in an inactive raised position, at the same time taking up the tension of the spring and thus removing the binding friction on the shaft. In this relation of parts, the finger can be easily adjusted along the shaft.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a perspective view, showing the two fingers in their position engaging platen.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken along the shaft and through the mounting for one of the fingers.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of one finger, showing it locked in its raised inactive position.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken from front to rear, showing in full lines one of the fingers in its active position, and in dotted lines the same finger in its raised and inactive position.

A platen 1 is secured to an axle 2, mounted in a frame 3. The frame 3 includes side plates 4 and a paper apron 5, which latter o5 inclines downwardly from the rear to the bite of the platen and around the platen up to a line just short of the rinting point. This printing point, indicated at 6, (Fig. l), is where type-bars 7 strike the platen 1. The paper apron 5 guides work-sheets around the platen and is assisted in maintaining the work-sheet on the platen by pressure feed ll olls 8 and 9, indicated by dotted lines in To assist the paper apron 5 and the feed rolls 8 and 9 in properly maintaining the work-sheet on the platen 1, there are provided a pair of paper-fingers 10, which face inwardly toward each other, and when in their active position, such as that illustrated in full lines in Figs. 1 and 1, enga e the platen 1. For supporting the paperngers 10, there is provided a shaft 11 which is fixed in the side plates 4 of the platen frame 3, so that it will not rotate. This shaft 11 is provided with a slot 12 extending the full length thereof, whereby the fingers may be slid along the shaft 11 and controlled in their rotary position on the shaft.

Each of the fingers 10 includes a collar or sleeve 13 having a spring key 14 for coming it against rotation relative to the shaft 11 by engaging in the slot 12, but permitting a sllding movement along the shaft. The collar 13 is provided with a head 15 secured rigidly thereto at one end, and a head 16 formed integrally thereon at the other end. Loosely mounted on the collar 13, there is provided a disk 17, which forms a part of an arm 18,- the latter being arched to conform to the cylindrical surface of the platen 1. The head 15 and the disk'17 are formed with rabbets forming hubs 19 and 20, respectively.

Secured to the disk 17 and the hub 20, and loosely mounted on the hub 19, there is provided a sleeve 21, which is of sufficient diameter to leave a space between its inner surface and the outer surface of the collar 13. In this space there is provided a coil spring 22. which is secured at one end to the head 15, and at the other end to the disk 17 In this way when the sleeve 21 is not locked to the collar 13 and the head 15, as described below, spring 22 will tend to force the outer end of the arm 18 toward the platen 1.

To lock the arm 18 in a raised position, as

indicated in dotted lines (Fig. 4) against the tension of the spring 22, the head 15 is rovided with a lug 23, which is arrange to engage in a socket 24 provided in the end of the sleeve 21. Normally, this socket 24 is out of register with the lug 23, but can be brought into register therewith by raising the arm 18. When so raised, the tension of the spring 22 will draw the sleeve 21 and parts carried thereby endwise along the collarv 13, and force the socket 24 over the lug 23. In this way, the sleeve and the arm will be locked automatically when the arm is brought to its raised position. To enable the spring 22 to act as a traction spring, as well as a torsion spring, its ends are secured to the head 15 and the disk 17 by being inserted in openings and turned over at its ends, as shown in Fig. 2.

The arm 18 in the case of each paperfinger 10, carries a stub shaft 25', which, for the right-hand paper-finger, projects to the left of the arm 18, and for the left-hand paper-finger, projects to the-right of the arm 18. This stub shaft 25 in each case bears a pressure roll 26, which is arranged to engage the surface of the platen 1 when the paper-finger is in its active position. The roll 26 in each instance extends through an opening 27 in a spring metal guide 28, which is curved to conform somewhat to the surface of the platen 1 and extends down into close proximity to the upper front edge of the apron 5, as illustrated in Fig. 4, where it presses against the platen 1. The lower edge of each of these guides 28 is turned upwardly at 29, so as to catch the leading edge of the work-sheet as it comes around the platen and cause the work-sheet to hug the platen snugly. The guide 28 in each instance is secured to a pin 30 by having an upturned edge entering a slot 31 provided in the pin 30. The pin 30 in each instance, is secured to the arm 18, and the pins on the two fingers roject toward each other, similar to the stu shafts 25.

The utility of the device will be readily understood when taken in connection with the above description. When in use, the fingers are in the position of Fig. 1, with the rolls 26 and the guides 28 in contact with the front surface of the platen 1. In this position they take the leading edge of the work-sheet 'as it comes around from the apron 5 and hold thework-sheet snug on the platen at points above the printing point 6, thereby enabling clear and accurate typewriting. In this position, the springs 22 are normally under a tension and exert a certain amount-of pressure on the rolls 26 and the guides 28. This pressure reacts back on the collar 13, through the head 15 secured thereto, so that the collar will have rotated as far as it can. which is but very little, CflllSlIlg the key 14 to grip one of the sides of the slot 12, creating sufiicient friction to drawing the sleeve 21 and the parts carried thereby toward the head 15, causing the socket 24 to seat itself on the lug 23. The lug and socket are-so formed that they will not disengage accidentally from each other, and it will be necessary to positively force the sleeve 21 away from the head 15, in order to again turn the sleeve 21 and the arm 18 relatii'e to the collar 13 and the shaft 11. When, however, the arm 18 and the sleeve 21 have been turned to the raised position of the arm 18 and locked in that po. sition, the tension of the spring 22 will be taken up between the sleeve 21 and the collar 13. Then the tension of the spring will not tend to act on the shaft 11, so that each finger can be readily slid along the shaft 11 without any trouble. In this way the fingers can be adjusted relatively to each other, so as to accommodate worksheets of different widths.

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the invention, and portions of the sleeve by sliding the outer sleeve axially when the finger is raised away from the platen, thereby locking the finger in its position away from the platen.

2. The combination with a platen and a frame in which it is rotatably mounted, of

a rod extending across said frame adjacent the platen, a sleeve slidably splined upon said rod, an outer sleeve axially slidable on said first-named sleeve, and including a collar by which it is carried by the first-named sleeve, to provide an open space between the sleeves, means on the first sleeve adapted to prevent the outer sleeve from slipping off the first sleeve, a second collar on the first sleeve, including a rabbet on which the outer sleeve slides, an arm extending from the outer sleeve forming a paper-finger to lie a ainst the platen, a lug on one sleeve adapte to slide into a notch on the other sleeve by sliding the outer sleeve axially when the the platen,

finger is raised away from the platen, thereby lockin I the finger clear of the platen, and a spring ying between said sleeves effective to draw the lug and notch to engaging position.

3. The combination with a platen and a frame in which it is rotatable, of a rod extending across said frame, a sleeve splined to said rod, an outer sleeve rotatable and axially slidable onisaid first-named sleeve, an arm including a paper-finger extending from said outer sleeve, a spring coiled on the first-named sleeve outer sleeve normally tending to swing said arm against the platen, and a lug on one sleeve adapted to slide into a notch in the other sleeve by sliding the outer sleeve axially when the finger is raised away from the platen, thereby lockingthe finger in its position away from the platen.

4. The combination with a platen and a frame in which it is rotatably mounted, of a rod extending across said frame adjacent a sleeve slidably splined upon said rod, an outer and lying within the sleeve axially slidable on said first-named sleeve, and including a col sleeves, a collar on the first-named'sleeve v adapted to prevent 'the outer sleevefrom slipping off the first sleeve, a second collar on the first sleeve, including a rab bet on which the outer sleeve slides, an arm extendin from the outer sleeve forming a papernger to lie against the platen, 3. lug on one sleeve adapted to slide into a notch in the other sleeve by'sliding the outer sleeve axially when the" finger is raised away from the platen, thereby locking the; finger clear of the platen, and a spring coiled on the first sleeve between its collars and lying within the outer sleeve, adapted to draw the lug and notch to engaging position, and also adapted, when the lug is free from the notch,

to draw the finger against the platen.

FREDERICK HART. 

